1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to securable storage containers and location tracking systems for objects stored in the container. More particularly, the invention relates to a storage container for objects, such as keys, that includes a location tracking system that randomly assigns the internal storage locations for the objects within the container to minimize the correlation of a specific object with a specific storage location.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is desirous to track the location and persons in possession of various objects of value, such as keys, computer disks, medicines, records, and other valuable items. Basic systems used to track objects have been log books kept in proximity to the object storage site, and a person signs the log book when he or she takes or returns an object from the storage location. However, this system is dependent on the person to actually use the log book and accurately record the data of who has the object and where the object is located.
With the advent of computerized record storage, computerized object tracking systems have been created, especially for tracking the location and storage of keys. These systems typically include a secure container or box that stores the keys, and a data input tracks the removal and return of the keys to the container. The data for the keys can be collected from a person taking the key, although this data input system is subject to the same error possibilities as log books. Some of the systems use a data store attached to an object, such as a bar code, or magnetic or optical strip, and the person simply scans the data at the time of object removal or return. This system is more likely to correctly gather data as the person can more easily scan the data at the appropriate times. Yet other systems use a radio-frequency (RF)-tag on the object such that the object can be tracked by external devices when that object is in a monitored space.
One problem that occurs in these automated tracking systems is that the person typically determines where to store the object at a specific storage location inside the container. In some systems, the person will choose the specific location to store the object, and in other systems, the system can tell the person which specific storage location to place the returned object. In the first instance, a person can purposefully place the object in the same location whereby the person can correlate the object with a specific location. If the objects are keys, the person can learn of the location of a key to a specific property which may be unwanted. And in the second instance, even if the system assigns the storage location to an object, the prior art systems do not ensure that the object was not recently previously stored at that location and object-location correlation is still possible.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that allows the storage of tracked objects, such as keys, at random locations within a secure storage container. Such system should minimize the likelihood that a person could correlate the identity of a particular object with a particular storage location. It is thus to the provision of such a system and method that the present invention is primarily directed.